Meet your Blue Dot team

Let’s introduce you to the team that will be working with you to ensure everyone in Canada has the right to clean air and water, safe food and a say in the decisions that affect our health and well-being.

Peter Wood, National Campaign Manager, Environmental Rights

I joined the Blue Dot team in July 2016. For over 18 years, I’ve worked on a variety of issues at the nexus of environmental and human rights, both within Canada and internationally. I was inspired to join the Blue Dot movement because it presents an opportunity to change the “rules of the game” and improve environmental outcomes across the board. After spending many years reacting to various proposals for mines, clearcuts, pipelines and dams, it has become apparent that we need to rise above this to think proactively, and have our environmental values reflected in the rights that all people across Canada enjoy. I’m excited to be working with a great team and such a dedicated network of volunteers.

Lisa Gue, Senior Researcher and Analyst

I joined the David Suzuki Foundation in 2007 and am just back to work after a maternity leave. Over the past decade, I have worked on a range of issues that profile connections between human health and the environment, including pesticides, air quality, toxics in consumer products and environmental rights. With two small children, I am more passionate than ever about ensuring the right to a healthy environment. I’m a lifelong environmentalist and David Suzuki fan, so I feel very fortunate to be working with DSF. I love my job! I am based in Ottawa and have a background in public policy.

Cameron Esler, Organizer & Trainer, Environmental Rights

I am a father, educator, policy analyst, filmmaker, aspiring Olympic gold medalist in cross-country skiing and human canvas (see picture). I am tickled blue from head to toe about achieving the right to a healthy environment because I believe environmental rights are human rights. To achieve a just world we need to ensure that all communities have clean water and a stable climate. It is an honour to work with amazing people from coast to coast to coast, and I am confident that together we can seize this opportunity to achieve a better future for all.

Isabelle Czerveniak, Organizer (Western), Environmental Rights

Born and raised here on the Canadian west coast and fortunate enough to have experienced extensive world travel, I am certain I live in the most beautiful place on Earth. You can find me skinning up the mountains in the winter, enjoying festivals in the summer and biking around the city on the in-between days. Connecting with our natural environment is crucial for us all to be able to live active, healthy and mindful lives. My passion lies in engaging community in fun and innovative ways and I am extremely motivated to be a part of driving our communities towards an environmental bill of rights. As Canadians, we have proven that we can rise to the occasion when it really matters and I’m excited to see what is possible when we unite and stand for our right to a clean environment.

Gabriel d’Astous, Organizer (Ottawa), Environmental Rights

I joined the Blue Dot team in February 2018 to help get the right to a healthy environment recognized in Canadian federal law. I started organizing during the 2012 student protests against tuition fee increases in Québec, but now I dedicate most of my time to climate justice and environmental campaigns. When I am not organizing, you can find me either hiking, biking or sharing a beer.

Alan Worsley, Communications Specialist, Environmental Rights

I joined Blue Dot in February 2017 to help campaign for the right to a healthy environment. I have a background in both scientific research and the news – so I love sharing those little ‘Eureka!’ moments when you suddenly understand how some part of the world works — which is why I’m Blue Dot’s communications specialist!

I’m proud to be a part of this movement because I believe we owe it to future generations to ensure there is clean air to breathe, fresh water to drink and a stable climate to inhabit. And what better way to do that than to establish a federal environmental bill of rights? It’s incredibly exciting to be working with people across the country to help make that happen.

I am a French digital native who is passionate about environmental protection, social media and the arts. I am strongly convinced that digital engagement can lead to real world actions to protect our planet, which is why I’m Blue Dot’s digital communications guru! When I’m old and grey, I want to be able to look back and be proud of the work we have done to protect the people and places we love.

Elizabeth Sarjeant, Ontario Organizer, Environmental Rights

I’m inspired by the Blue Dot movement because of the powerful connection it draws between environmental and social justice. I grew up exploring the lakes and forests of southern Ontario, and later fought to protect the mountains and oceans in B.C. while working on my master’s research in student worker activism. My background in environmental education, community organizing and communication has taught me that we need to call upon those in power to take responsibility for the health and well-being of our world. I’m motivated by the hundreds of Blue Dot volunteers doing this work across Canada, and thrilled to be joining them as Ontario organizer.

Emilia Belliveau, Coordinator, Environmental Rights

In 2013, I started community organizing for fossil fuel divestment and other environmental justice campaigns. I first became involved with Blue Dot as a volunteer in Halifax in 2014, where the focus on common values and equity through Human Rights really struck a chord.

More recently, I’ve been carrying out political ecology research on environmental racism, strategic intervention for climate change action, and environmental social movements. I’m particularly excited by the potential of environmental rights to shift the way we think about environmental protection across the country. I’m thrilled to be the new coordinator for the Blue Dot team!